Amazon was a simple online bookstore back in 1995. Today, the company is responsible for 49% of all online sales … and a ton of employment opportunities.
Amazon has hired more than 95,000 new employees in 2020 due to increased demand linked to COVID-19, and there are still plenty of current openings. Many of these open positions don’t require working full-time or becoming an Amazon employee, making them a great choice for anyone who wants to work from home or pick up a side hustle to earn extra money.
Here are some part-time, work-at-home opportunities at Amazon, along with details about the job applications.
Last-Mile Delivery With Amazon Flex
Amazon Flex is a crucial component of Amazon’s last-mile delivery program. Flex drivers pick up packages at local delivery stations and deliver them to home addresses by following the route given to them.
The program is currently hiring in 50 cities and is ideal if you’re looking for flexibility. You work as a freelance contractor and can decide how much time you want to spend driving each week, without exceeding hour caps. (Amazon created these caps to prevent this freelance gig from turning into a full-time job from a legal standpoint.)
Most driving routes, called blocks, last from three to six hours. You can use the Amazon Flex app to indicate your availability, and the app will offer some reserved shifts that match your preferred hours. You’re free to accept or reject these blocks.
The app won’t send you job alerts, but you can check it whenever you want to pick up more blocks as they become available. Drivers typically earn $18 to $25 an hour. The main downside is that Amazon expects you to drive your own vehicle or to rent or borrow a vehicle that matches a few requirements. You’re responsible for expenses like gas and insurance.
The Amazon Flex Job Application
If you want to drive with Flex, here’s how to apply:
- Download the Flex app to get started.
- Fill out a simple form with your name, date of birth, SSN, and driver’s license number.
- You will have to answer a few questions about your vehicle to make sure it meets the requirements for making deliveries. Any four-door sedan, SUV, or truck should qualify.
- Amazon will perform a background check with this information. This part of the hiring process takes three to five days.
- You can start picking up blocks once you pass the background check.
Additional Delivery Jobs With Amazon Flex
Depending on where you live, you might have access to additional delivery jobs with Amazon Flex:
- Prime Now and Amazon Fresh blocks typically last two to four hours. Drivers deliver groceries instead of packages.
- Some cities have a “store orders” program. You will have to visit local businesses to pick up orders and deliver them.
- You might come across instant orders. These delivery blocks last less than an hour and cover a small area.
Also see: Jobs like Amazon Flex
How to Apply for Additional Delivery Jobs
You don’t have to do anything extra — just start with Flex! The application process for these different delivery jobs is the same as the one to drive with Flex. Once you have an active Flex account, you will see these different opportunities pop up if you check the app regularly, provided that these services are available in your city.
Jobs With Amazon Delivery Service Partners
Not all Amazon deliveries go through the Amazon Flex program. Because of Amazon’s focus on making speedy deliveries, it has a huge last-mile delivery network that relies on small and medium-sized businesses. These delivery service partners (DSP) have a contractor status and take over the last-mile deliveries after Amazon has transported packages from a distribution center to a delivery station.
If you apply for one of these jobs, your employer will be the DSP, not Amazon. Compensation and hours vary, but most DSPs offer full-time driving jobs. You don’t need a commercial driver’s license to apply, but keep in mind that your hours won’t be flexible.
The main advantage of driving for a DSP is that your employer will provide you with a delivery vehicle. You won’t have to cover gas or insurance costs.
Delivery Service Provider Applications
The application process varies from one area to another. Looking through local job boards for driving and delivery positions is the best way to find one of these jobs. Job postings might not mention Amazon, but if you see a small company that is actively recruiting drivers in your area, chances are that they’re a DSP working with Amazon.
Work From Home as a Digital Devices and Alexa Support Associate
Support associates are Amazon employees who work from home. It’s a customer service role with a set schedule. Support associates typically get busier during the holidays, and Amazon expects them to work longer hours than usual.
It’s an ideal position if you have some customer service experience, feel comfortable with the Amazon family of products, and don’t mind not having flexible hours.
Also see: Do you need a high school diploma to work at Amazon?
A competitive candidate will have strong communication skills and know how to resolve issues. Duties include identifying issues that are preventing a stellar customer experience, asking the right questions, and finding a solution to the problem or else escalating it.
You will receive extensive training, but being generally familiar with technology and specifically with Amazon products like the company’s Echo Dot speakers, Fire TV sticks, Kindle readers, and Fire tablets will help you succeed.
As a support associate, you will interact with customers via online chat and over the phone. You will need access to a reliable internet connection and to a landline. Anyone who is over 18 and has a high school diploma can apply for this job.
The Support Associate Application
Here’s how to find the online job application for this opportunity:
- Head to the official Amazon.jobs website.
- Create an Amazon.jobs account
- Fill out your profile with information about yourself and past work experience.
- Look for available support associate positions by checking the virtual locations job board.
- Check this job board regularly! Amazon doesn’t actively hire for this position all the time, but you can usually find open positions just before the holidays.
Audible Inc. Customer Care Representative
Audible Inc. is a child company of Amazon. It produces and sells audiobooks.
You can apply for a customer care representative with Audible and work from home. The hours seem more flexible than the Amazon support associate position.
Your job will entail providing support via email, phone, and chat. You will help customers resolve technical issues and walk them through the process of getting started with listening to audiobooks.
It’s an ideal work-from-home job if you’re passionate about literature. You will get to discuss audiobooks, recommend new audiobooks, and keep customers engaged by talking about literature.
You can apply for this position if you have a high school diploma and have some experience with customer service.
The Audible Job Application
You’ll find the Amazon job application for this position on Amazon.jobs. Use “Audible” as a keyword to find any open positions. The application process should be very straightforward because Amazon.jobs will send the information you have saved in your profile to the Amazon recruiter.
Join Amazon’s Affiliate Sales Program
Amazon has one of the most popular affiliate programs online. As an affiliate seller, you can earn money by using your website to share links to products sold on Amazon. Your earning potential depends on how much traffic you can generate and how many visitors to your website end up making a purchase on Amazon.
Affiliate sales can be an interesting source of income if you have a strong online presence or a blog you want to monetize. Your affiliate links can become a source of passive income once you establish your online presence.
It helps if you have strong knowledge of SEO and know how to create quality content. A strong network of backlinks to drive traffic to your content and get more people to see your affiliate links will help you earn more.
There are different ways to get paid with the Amazon affiliate program:
- Pay-per-sale. If a seller selects this option, you will earn a flat commission or a percentage of the sale price when a shopper buys a product after following one of your affiliate links.
- Pay-per-click. With this model, you will earn a small commission every time a shopper follows one of your links, even if they don’t make a purchase.
- Pay-per-lead. You will receive a commission if a shopper visits a merchant’s site and performs a specific action after following one of your links.
Most sellers opt for the pay-per-sale model. Amazon also uses this model for its own products. Your commissions can range anywhere from 1% for products like video games to 10% for luxury beauty products. You can earn a 4% commission for selling a Kindle and get 8% of the sale price for categories like furniture or pet products.
Amazon Affiliate Application
You don’t have to fill out an Amazon job application to become an affiliate seller. It’s a freelance gig that’s available to everyone.
All you have to do is visit the Amazon Associates website and click on “sign up.” You can then create a new account or use an existing Amazon shopping account to log in. You will then be able to enter your banking information to cash out and generate affiliate links.
Get Creative With Merch by Amazon
The Merch by Amazon program is an interesting option if you have a skill for graphic design and fashion. Merch creators upload their designs, and Amazon prints them on T-shirts and other merchandise.
The Merch program is a great way of getting your designs on a popular shopping platform without incurring any of the costs of maintaining an inventory. Your earnings depend on how popular your designs are. Amazon uses a tier system based on sales volume, which means your commission for each T-shirt sold will increase as your sales go up.
The Amazon Merch Application
You need to request an invitation to join the Merch program. You will have to share some details about your work and past experience. There are no official requirements published for this program, but it seems that Amazon selects established artists and experienced designers.
Amazon Influencer Program
The Amazon Influencer Program uses a structure similar to the affiliate program. The payout structure is the same, but influencers use a different method to promote products.
As an influencer, Amazon will provide you with a storefront that you can customize. You can use your storefront to showcase products and curated collections to help your followers discover new products relevant to their interests. You will earn a commission that ranges from 1% to 10% of the sale price when a shopper buys an item through your storefront.
The Amazon Influencer Application
The application process is very straightforward. You need to have a YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram account to join this program.
Visit the Amazon Influencer Program page and log in with the social media account of your choice. Amazon will look at the number of followers you have and consider engagement metrics to process your application. You will get an immediate answer with YouTube and Twitter accounts, and the review process can take up to five days for a Facebook or Instagram account.
Once Amazon approves you for this program, you can create your storefront and share a link to your store on social media.
Amazon Mechanical Turk
Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk) helps people crowdsource simple tasks. As an MTurk worker, you browse through the platform for a short task called a HIT. Each HIT typically takes a few minutes to complete.
You’ll find a wide range of tasks on mTurk, from surveys to data entry and writing jobs. It’s a flexible option that you can use to earn some extra cash.
Pay varies from one requester to another. Some requesters will let any mTurker work on their HITs, while others want to ensure that you meet a few requirements first. There are usually some requirements for HITs completing surveys.
The mTurk Job Application
You can get started by creating an Amazon account or logging in on mTurk with an existing Amazon account. You will need to enter your address and banking information before heading to the worker website to check available HITs.
Final Thoughts
If you want a flexible job, a work-from-home position, or a source of extra cash, there are plenty of opportunities to explore with Amazon. I hope you have a better idea of how to apply for Amazon jobs online and which opportunities are a good fit for you after reading this guide!
